The Spud Goodman Show was born in February 1985 in Tacoma Washington.
Produced weekly by the production company Photo Northwest, the program
supposedly originated from the basement of a small apartment was
actually shot in the basement of a small apartment in the city. It
should be noted that this was a full two years before the well known SNL
segment Wayne's World was first dropped on the cathode viewing world.
Included for your viewing pleasure on our web site is a short
compilation of interviews and features in that memorable period
following the shows creation. Included in this segment are guests such
as Musician Cab Calloway, former NFL player and ex Minnesota Vikings
head coach Mike Tice, NW gardening legend Ed Hume, musician Johnette
Napolitano formerly of the band Concrete Blonde, Stripper Morganna known
nationally as "The Kissing Bandit", local citizens such as bunny killer
Rick Larue and televangelist Johnny Angel. With little or no budget and
slightly less than state of the art technical equipment the Spud Goodman
Show was able to build a small but loyal audience. This gestation period
later allowed the program to blossom into a semi national cable show and
a great deal of credit must be given to the Photo Northwest production
company.

Spud On Sports

Attempting to launch an alternative sports talk show within an industry
that lives or dies with the almost militaristic aspect of competition
was not an easy task in 1991. The venue was Prime Sports Northwest (now
Fox Sports Northwest), a regional sports network that was carried in
Wash, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. The program was called Spud On Sports
and it was deemed quite different from the fare then offered. A viewing
of the segment available on our web site include former Boston Celtic
player and coach KC Jones, ex Utah Jazz great Karl Malone, ex NBA all
star Danny Ainge, ex NY Yankee Don Mattingly, an interesting phone
interview with ex NBA star Larry Bird, synchronized swimming Olympic
gold medal winner Tracie Ruiz-Conforto, features on Monster Truck shows,
youth soccer and a visit to Nike Town in Portland. A viewing of this
segment will provide ample evidence of why this show never quite fit in
this genre.

The TCI Public Access Cable Era

Following the demise of the local commercial cable channel in Tacoma the
show had two choices to make, pack it in or carry on elsewhere. The
decision was made to continue production via the TCI public access
center in north Seattle and the show lived to see another day. The
program had access to rudimentary equipment but made the best of it and
produced a show that for it's time was clearly innovative. The program
now offered on our web site for your viewing features a true NW legend
and icon, children's entertainer JP Patches. It should be noted JP
Patches remains one of the only celebrity guests who have refused to
return to the show following the broadcast of this episode. Legend has
it that he was not aware that the female actor who espoused her suicidal
intentions on air was a scripted segment and he deemed Spud to be a less
than compassionate human being. Regardless, to this day our host remains
in total depression knowing that the man he admires so greatly hates his
guts. It is a burden he will sadly take to his grave.

The TCI Commercial Cable Era

After receiving considerable support from the NW viewing audience a
decision was made to leave public access for the commercial side of
cable within the same production facility in north Seattle. Now having
access to slightly improved technical equipment the show was able to
venture into more ambitious territory. Described by local critics as
"weird", "eccentric", "confusing", etc, The Spud Goodman Show attempted
to throw as much stuff as possible against the wall and hope something
worked. Occasionally it did and those were magic moments. On the other
hand there were many times where no one knew what was going on, viewers
and cast members included and that was what made the show special.
Included for your viewing on our web site is the short segment featuring
former KIRO TV icon Lloyd Cooney, current voice of the Seattle Sonics
Kevin Calabro, Steve Raible of KIRO TV, B movie actress Debra Foreman
and former MTV video VJ Kevin Seal. The program in this period featured
the major players and personalities of Seattle who felt they had little
to lose by appearing on this often controversial show. There were some
such as Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Kenny G who felt it would not be in
their best interest to join in the experience and it is hoped that they
now rue their decision made during this era.

The KTZZ Channel 22 Era

Following the experiment in Sports Talk the Spud Goodman Show returned
to it's roots but this time in broadcast television. In 1992 the program
debuted in the former time slot of Howard Stern without the benefit of
strippers or porn stars. It was a difficult time surviving the midnight
Saturday timeslot without these needed aids but the program persevered
for 2 & 1/2 years. With access to now almost modern technical equipment
the show ventured into even more format bending territory often to
unpredictable results. Featuring the who's who of both local and
national celebrity, the Spud Goodman Show became a minor player in the
Seattle market. A new reality had Spud obsessing over the shows Nielson
ratings each week, something that some feel led to his one time
addiction to Vicks Vapo- Rub. Appearing in the segment now available on
our web site include: Actress Annette Funicello, Rodeo Bull Rider Bobby
Delveccio, Former Baseball star Jim Palmer, Film Director Richard
Linklatter, Former NBA All Star Hakeem Alajuwon, Elvis's Personal Nurse
Marion Cook, Actor John Corbett, NBA Great and TNT Commentator Charles
Barkley, Author Tom Robbins, local NW artists composer Norman Durkee and
Glass Artist Ginny Rufner, NW personalities John Carlson, Walt Crowley,
Emmett Watson, Mike Seigel, former Governor Mike Lowry, John Keister, NW
Bands Young Fresh Fellows, Tad, Best Kissers In The World, Sister
Psychic, Rail, The Picketts, Total Experience Gospel Choir, Duffy Bishop
Band. Also featured of course are the Goodman family, mother Saffola,
father Sparky, Uncle Steve, Cousin Samuel, Sister Sophia, show orchestra
Accordion Joe, Spud's body guard Irish and the hated show producer Jeff
Larson. This anniversay special gives viewers a comprehensive look at
the program while produced in the Seattle market and prior to being
acquired by FOXNET cable and carried nationally.

The FOXNET Cable Era

After a brief hiatus in the NW market, The Spud Goodman show
was acquired in 1996 by FOX's then new cable venture, The Set
(Syndicated Entertainment Television). One year later the program was
moved to FOXNET, a cable television unit of the FOX Television Network
and was carried on both Direct TV and also on cable systems nationwide
where the Fox Television Network was not carried by broadcast stations.
This relationship lasted 2 1/2 years, approximately 2 1/2 years longer
than Spud Goodman would ever had hoped for. He has been quoted as saying
he was treated well there and the parting was amicable. Reports of his
demise are exagerated and there is no truth to the rumor he is now a
hobo residing outside of Bakersfield California. At this date it has
been confirmed that Spud has retired from on air activities and is now
concentrating on producing film shorts and writing stuff on napkins.
Unconfirmed reports have Spud informing family members that there is
always the possibility that he will one day come out of retirement and
return to haunt the television industry he once gave the creeps to. Only
time will tell.